Dion jolted awake but lacked the strength to move. He relaxed again and his eyes turned droopy. But he quickly shook himself awake.
After about an hour of battling sleep, Dion finally regained the strength to move. He carefully detached his blade from his back and used it to support his weight. He stood up slowly and looked around.
It was already dark and Dion dreaded sleeping in the forest when he remembered the fox came back injured. Using the mountain from the distance as a beacon, he took a familiar route in the forest. He was thankful for studying maps a little. At least he got a general direction using the mountain.
But he also realized that the red spirit was gone. Dion couldn't help but palm his face with a light smile.
'Maybe the red spirit blocked my thinking or else I would have known that since it can not stray far from its formation site, I just need to run away from the pile of red crystals.'
The cold breeze of the night caressed his exposed skin as he made his way slowly towards the forest. The sound of insect singing echoed from various directions.
Dion proceeded cautiously, acutely aware that he might not be fortunate enough to survive another encounter with a formidable beast.
Suddenly, distant whimpers reached his ears. He froze, holding his breath, straining to confirm what he had heard. The whimper repeated, causing tremors to course through Dion's body, for it resembled a human voice. Yet, he couldn't be certain. To believe, he needed to see.
Despite his injury, Dion quickened his pace, hopping with determination. Seeking cover behind a massive tree, he positioned himself carefully. With bated breath, he cautiously extended his head, peering slightly from behind the protective barrier.
His hand tightened its grip around the handle of his blade, prepared for whatever lay ahead.
With held breath and motionless body, Dion watched with heightened focus at the direction the whimper resonated from.
As a figure emerged from the depths of darkness, Dion's eyes narrowed, straining to discern the elusive features amidst the night's shroud.
When he finally caught sight of the person emitting those anguished whimpers, his eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
'Valka? Escaped from Luke?' Dion couldn't conceal the astonishment etched upon his face.
Yet, he remained concealed behind the protective barrier of the tree, his gaze fixated upon Valka, studying her with narrowed eyes. She stumbled, her movements unsteady, a grotesque painting of black and red blood staining her body. Her eyes darted around, filled with a maelstrom of anxiety, fear, and sheer horror.
Dion witnessed a level of terror in her eyes that he had never seen before, even during their encounter within the cave.
As Dion turned to depart, ready to silently slip away from whatever had caused Valka to appear so battered and terrified, her voice pierced the air, fragile and trembling. "D-D-Dion, is that you?"
But Dion chose not to respond. He continued his retreat in silence, unwilling to entangle himself in the forces that had reduced her to this state — battered and consumed by fear.
But he merely took a step when she spoke up again, "If you leave like that, you will die. You don't know what's out there."
Dion stopped in his tracks and thought silently. Coming to a quick decision, he turned and walked up to her.
"Dion, it's really you." Valka staggered towards Dion.
He could see the relief in her eyes but she fell before she could reach him.
Dion quickly caught her.
"What do you mean I would die?" Dion went straight to the point.
But he noticed her eyes closing to sleep in his arms.
"Valka," Dion growled while shaking, jerking her awake.
"What was that death threat?"
Valka's body trembled in Dion's arms. "Co-co-corrupted dark sorcerer in the forest!" she managed to utter with quivering lips before finally succumbing to unconsciousness.
Dion's head snapped up, his senses on high alert as rustling leaves and the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears. "Hell no…"
He attempted to leave Valka behind and make his escape, but a seemingly unyielding force held him back.
Glancing down, Dion discovered that Valka, despite her unconscious state, clung to his clothes with a desperate grip.
He struggled in vain to pry her hands off him, but her hold only tightened.
"Ple-please, do-don't leave m-me," Valka unconsciously muttered, her words causing Dion to pause. He gazed at her dirt-streaked face.
"You've helped me. Lucky you," he mumbled to himself, securing his blade to his waist before carefully hoisting Valka onto his back.
Even in her slumber, Valka's arms remained tightly wrapped around his neck, her legs secured around his waist.
Without a moment's hesitation, Dion sprang to his feet, ready to flee. But just as he prepared to make his escape, a figure plummeted from above, landing directly in his path. Fear gripped his soul as he recalled Valka's warning.
Unleashing his eye intent to its peak, Dion swiftly drew his blade from its scabbard. With a blinding speed, he unleashed a slashing motion, aiming for the intruder's neck. The blade sliced through the unknown person's throat in a flash, sending their head soaring upward while blood spurted through the air.
The head, eyes wide open in shock from its abrupt demise, fell to the ground with a resounding thud.
Dion's breaths came in heavy gasps as he stood there, his blade extended and dripping with blood. Drops of the headless man's blood brushed past his face. He withdrew, his gaze fixed on the headless figure before him, confusion etched across his face. 'Why is the corrupted dark sorcerer so weak?'
He suddenly thought of something and squatted with Valka still clinging to his back to remove the person's clothes. And as expected, he saw only three runes.
"He's not the sorcerer?" Dion mumbled, confusion written all over his face.
Suddenly, he jumped to his feet as realization dawned on him.
He stood still and listened quietly to the wind. Soon, he heard many footsteps coming from multiple directions.
His eyes snapped open and he grimaced. "Dammit! It is not only a corrupted dark sorcerer but… a team."
Dion's eyes narrowed, his grip on Valka tightening as he readied himself to flee.
However, a peculiar purple glow from above caught his attention. Dion raised his head, spotting a small, slow-moving purple firefly approaching him.
'A purple firefly? But something about its brightness doesn't seem right...' He squinted, straining his eyes until he finally discerned the truth.
Dion's eyes widened in disbelief as he beheld the object gliding through the air—it was a basketball-sized, pulsating purple flame hurtling toward his position.
A surge of dread washed over him; it was a Class One Dark Sorcerer's spell—blazing corrosion.
Ignoring the searing pain radiating from his chest, Dion swiftly turned and bolted away.
Yet, he had underestimated the speed of the approaching flame.
The fiery projectile crashed a few meters from his previous location, erupting into a colossal ten-meter-wide purple inferno that bathed the tranquil forest in an eerie glow. Its destructive flames consumed everything in its path, fueled by an unstoppable shockwave that tore through the surroundings like a rampaging storm.
Dion didn't dare to look back, even as the purplish illumination engulfed the forest and the deafening explosion echoed in his ears. The rumbling sound pursued him, accompanied by the distant roars of agitated beasts. The searing heat threatened to scorch his skin, carrying on the acrid and acidic air.
With every ounce of energy he could summon, Dion fled, his speed transforming him into a dark blur, even with the weight of Valka clinging to his back.
Unfortunately, the shockwave still caught up, catapulting him through the air.
But this time, it was worse because… he pa
ssed out and his head was going to collide with a gigantic tree. A sure death even with his twelve-rune body.